Public feedback is sought on the governing instrument establishing the PIDF.
A consultative process leading to the drafting of the agreement establishing the PIDF is underway. This follows the launch this morning of the Pacific’s first ever online public consultation on the design of an international organization for the Pacific. The PIDF Agreement will set out key institutional and organisational arrangements for the Pacific’s only inclusive and multi-stakeholder organization, the PIDF. The Terms of Reference for the development of the PIDF Agreement anticipated a broadly participatory and consultative process that begins today.
A three-tier strategy has been developed involving consultations with the PIDF Senior Official’s Committee, meetings of regional leaders from PIDF countries and an online campaign. A key element in the engagement strategy is the launch of online public consultations to engage as widely as possible. Individuals, civil society organisations, public sector and the private sector will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed contents of the agreement. The public online consultation campaign will use a specially designed feedback page on the PIDF website to comment on institutional and budgetary principles and models to bring alive the PIDF vision of Building a United, Distinctive and Sustainable Pacific Society. The feedback page can be accessed by simply going to http://pacificidf.org/feedback/.
A range of institutional and budgetary models were reviewed through the lens of the PIDF vision. This process culminated in the development of two discussion papers prepared to stimulate discussion and inform the preparation of the PIDF Agreement, namely; Pacific Islands Development Forum Institutional Structure Discussion Paper and Pacific Islands Development Forum Funding Options Discussion Paper.
True to the inclusive and participatory vision of the PIDF these discussion papers are now being publicly released. The aim is to gain feedback on their suitability to create an institution that can achieve the green growth/sustainability agenda.
The consultation process is broadly participatory ensuring that all the relevant stakeholders can contribute to the development of the PIDF Agreement. It will be an open consultation across the Pacific using all mediums of communication. In addition to the process being publicly advertised, the online consultation campaign will have a targeted component. Tens of thousands of stakeholders in the public sector, private sector and civil society will be contacted directly through various media to invite their participation in the process.The objective is to enable the people of the Pacific to have a say in the design and establishment of the PIDF Agreement. The new agreement is planned to be tabled before Leaders at the third PIDF Summit from 12 – 14 August for necessary approval and adoption.
Speaking at the launch this morning which was hosted by the Interim Secretary General of the PIDF Mr Amena Yauvoli and carried out in the presence of diplomats from Pacific Missions in Suva H.E. Patterson Oti, High Commissioner, Solomon Islands and Interim Chair of the PIDF Senior Officials Committee said (attached is his complete speech):‘‘Today marks another notch in the PIDF as I launch the online consultation campaign on the PIDF Establishment Agreement. As Chair of the Senior Officials Committee, I am elated to launch this important process, which I must say is purely unprecedented in the history of Pacific regional institutions, in as far as the development of regional institutions and its establishment agreements were undertaken.’’ ‘’In our process, true to the inclusive and participatory vision of the PIDF, the views and opinions of the public, private, civil societies, academia and all sectors and stakeholders in our Pacific societies and communities are important and should be consulted in its development and formulation.’’